


Out of the Flames

by MugenYumeDansu



Series: Where Silver Leaves Fall and Golden Apples Grow [1]
Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Original Characters, Alternate Universe - Werewolves, Chance Meetings, Group Bonding, Lorin (OMC), Mentioned Character Death, Multi, Original Female Characters - Freeform, Original Male Characters - Freeform, PTSD, Paranoia, Rhys (OFC), Set during season 3, Sierra (OFC) - Freeform, Werewolves, group dynamic, secondary character death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-13
Updated: 2017-11-18
Packaged: 2018-03-12 04:21:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3343502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MugenYumeDansu/pseuds/MugenYumeDansu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Out of the Fire she came, out of the heat and the flames,<br/>A Beast like none had seen before, a Creature of Flesh, of Claw and Fang."</p><p>She has risen from the depths into the moonlight, and the mark she bares shall change the course of their lives forever.</p><p>Her name is Rhys, and she has survived. The lone survivor of the first wave of destruction and infection. She alone escaped her home town, only to discover that the world is coming to an end. She is doing everything she can to survive. And she picks up a few others along the way. And it is with them that she finds everything she thought was lost. It is with them that she begins the search for Sanctuary.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Hit the Ground Running

Rhysonnie Jameson was tired, hot, hungry, and in an entirely bad mood altogether.

Being stuck on top of a freaking moving truck in the damned ninety degree heat, hiding from a group of the undead did not improve this much.

She was only armed with a single hunting knife, and a .45 with two bullets left in the clip. Not enough to fight off the dozen plus dead currently milling about the truck Rhys had taken refuge on.

Rhys lay on her back, her knife clutched loosely in one hand, resting quietly. She was deep in thought at the moment. There had to be a way to draw attention away from her hiding place, drawing the undead horde elsewhere so that she could at least escape to somewhere that was out of the sun. Preferably indoors. Her green eyes were half closed, scanning the sky and surrounding buildings periodically.

Her thoughts had circled three or four times when she noticed movement at the edge of the trees. A flash of blonde through the green foliage. Then the herd of deadlings began shuffling and moan/growling in the direction that the movement had been coming from.

The sudden popping of firecrackers at the edge of the trees startled Rhys, but she didn't question her luck, just rolled onto her stomach and readied herself to run.

It took a few minutes, but as soon as the last couple undead shuffled far enough out of range Rhys set herself and pushed up and set off.

She hit the ground and was running as fast as she could toward the opposite side of the shopping center parking lot. She cleared the edge of the building and was headed for the back door of a clothing store when a straggler appeared in front of Rhys out of nowhere. Before she had time to think she knifed it between the eyes and darted into the store, letting the door shut behind her with a thunk.

She skidded to a halt and bent over, hands on her knees trying to catch her breath.

She stood that way for several minutes, until her breathing had evened out, and her pounding heart had slowed to a regular speed. Then she smiled and started giggling quietly. The only thing going through her head; "I made it." She had survived again.

She stood up straight and looked around the shop. She lifted her knife and moved from aisle to aisle, clearing the whole place. There wasn't a being in sight, alive or dead. There was, however, plenty of choice for a change of clothes, and a few other supplies.

Rhys looked down at her dirty, tattered, ripped shirt and jeans, and shook her head. She made her way down several aisles with a cart she snagged from a jumbled line by the door, collecting as much as she could of what she deemed usable. In a little over an hour she had several changes of clothes, a brand new pair of hiking boots, and a mish-mash of other supplies stuffed into her cart.

She headed for the bathroom she had cleared with her buggy of valuables, humming lightly. All that was on her mind was getting out of her filthy clothes, and possibly getting the closest thing to a bath as she was likely to get for a while.

She took a full change of clothes and some soap she'd located with her and headed in. She checked the taps and almost shrieked with joy when the stuttered on. She stripped down and rinsed out her shirt and used it as a rag, scrubbing herself down twice with the bar of soap, until she was pink and as clean as she was likely to get.

She scrubbed her hair under the stream rinsing it of as much dirt, blood and debris as she could. She wrung out the water and flipped her red-brown strands out of her face and rifled through the clothes she'd picked up. She dressed quickly in a matching set of plaid panties and bra, that fit perfectly. Next came some grey cargo pants and a blue tanktop. She tried on the boots. They fit so she left them on.

She thought about hanging up her old clothes to dry, but decided to go with leaving them in favor if fresh, new things instead. She checked herself in the large mirror on the wall before heading out into the main store.

She stuffed her gathered supplies into a large backpack she had picked up in her initial walkthrough and mentally checked off the supplies she had missed. She started combing the store for anything she could find that could be useful.

She filled her backpack to half capacity and picked up an oversized messenger bag for any extra supplies she might find later, tightening the strap around her waist like a giant fanny pack.

Rhys made her way to the ‘employees only’ section. She scrounged around for a few minutes, managing to find a couple of abandoned purses. Rifling through them, she started piling things on the counter top. The purses yielded a few useful items; a small pocket knife, a couple bottles of water, and an unopened bottle of naproxin sodium, but the most important was a key fob with the dodge symbol emblazoned on it and a set of keys dangling from it. She stowed that away in her pocket and vowed to try it out as soon as she was ready to hit the road. If her luck was holding, she now had a vehicle. 

She went back to foraging and located an old wooden mop in a storage closet that quickly lost its mop head and became a makeshift walking stick.

She sorted and packed away her spoils and headed for the back door, staff in hand. She managed to slip outside and over to another store without incident. This one was a small dollar store, and it looked virtually untouched. Rhys smiled at her luck.

The brown-haired girl settled her things against a door and drew her hunting knife. She cleared the store aisle by aisle like before, finding nothing more harmful than a few mice. Rhys grinned. It was time to go shopping. She repeated her actions from the first store, grabbing a cart and starting to load it up. It took a while, but by the time she was through she had enough supplies to last several weeks.

If she was lucky enough to locate the vehicle that her new keys belonged to, and if it was in working order, she decided that she would do some more in depth looting and load up for the long haul, but until then, she stuck to what she could carry.

Rhys collected her bags and settled in an aisle that had a clear view of both the doors and the back, but where she wouldn’t be seen from outside. She settled in and opened up a couple cans of food, chowing down as she started sorting and packing. By the time she was through, and had everything arranged to her satisfaction, she had a rather impressive set of supplies. She had even grabbed a leather notebook and listed off all of her supplies, to keep inventory.

Her list included: a sleeping bag, two throw blankets, a small pillow, a fully stocked and extensive first aid kit, several extra bottles of painkillers and other medicines, 6 flashlights in various sizes, extra batteries in every available type, 6 more knives, 2 more pairs of gloves, 3 para-cord bracelets and a length of nylon rope, a roll of twine, 2 packages of pads and a box of tampons, several packages of baby wipes, a pack of washcloths, a can opener, several bars of soap, shampoo and conditioner, q-tips, a family pack of toothbrushes, toothpaste, mouthwash, several packages of lighters and a few boxes of matches, a sewing kit, some dental floss, a roll of fishing line and some fish hooks, a whistle, a compass, three extra notebooks, two packages of pens, a few bottles of clear nail polish and a couple of paperback books.

All of this fit into the two bags she already had and a duffle bag she had found. Add to that the large list of food she’d gathered. Rhys had no idea how she was going to get all of this into a vehicle, but she’d worry about that later. Right now she was well-fed, warm, relatively safe, and in a very good mood.

She set up a perimeter with her empty cans and some twine, and she bedded down for the night.

She would locate her possible transportation in the morning.


	2. Let the Sparks Fly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rhys has a predawn meeting with an interesting new ally.

Rhys was woken sometime before dawn by an unholy racket. Tin cans jangling madly, a female voice cursing, and the loud thunk of a body hitting the floor.

Rhys rolled to a crouch, knife at the ready, in less than a heartbeat. The sight that met her gaze was, however, one that would have made her snort with laughter had it been any other situation.

A petite girl lay in a tangled heap at Rhys' feet, blinking owlishly up at the redhead through tentrils of knotted blonde hair.

"Uh, hi. I guess this aisle is occupied." The blonde said lamely. Her eyes were trained on the knife in Rhys' grip.

"What are you doing here?" Rhys demanded, pointedly not lowering the blade. The girl sighed.

"I was lookin' for somethin' to eat. 'Specially sice I've been runnin' damn near all night from a bunch of chompers, and I haven't eaten in two days. On top of that I used my last couple firecrackers to distract 'em so I could get in and find some supplies. 'Course I didn't count on 'em spottin' me. Took me hours to lose 'em and circle around so I could get back. And now this." The girl tried in vain to blow a tendril of hair out of her eyes.

Rhys lowered her knife, eyes wide in realization. A flash of gold through the trees followed by a loud burst of popping. This girl had inadvertently saved Rhys's life.

"That was you that drew them off. I... I'd be dead right now if you hadn't." she mumbled. The younger girl's eyes widened too. Rhys quickly weighed her options. Her Othersense suddenly spoke up, for the first time in days. This girl was not a threat. She was weak, tiny, and Rhys was much bigger, faster, and a whole lot stronger. Even if she did try something, she wouldn't succeed without severe injury to herself. Besides, Rhys owed her for saving her life.

The redhead leaned down and cut the twine wrapped around the young girl, freeing her. The blonde sat up, shaking the twine scraps away. Rhys put away her knife and stood, holding out a hand. The girl took it and Rhys helped her up.

"Thank you. I'm Rhys." The other girl smiled.

"I'm Sierra." She chimed.

"Well, Sierra, there's plenty of food and other supplies. Place hasn't been touched until now." Said Rhys, indicating the rest of the store. Sierra squinted around for a moment before Rhys realized it was well before first light, and Sierra wasn't able to see clearly in the dark, like Rhys did. She quickly fixed that situation by digging out one of her flashlights and handing it to the other girl.

"Oh, thank you!" She exclaimed and she went off to dig among the shelves for a few things.

After a few minutes she was back, carrying a shopping basket full of food items. She smiled brightly at Rhys before setting the basket down between them.

"Wanna share?" She asked, digging in to the basket and pulling out a package of chocolate chip cookies and tearing in to them. Rhys started to shake her head when her traitorous stomach spoke up, grumbling loudly.

"Sure." She said hesitantly and picked up a bag of chips and a bottle of flavored water and dug in.

The two girls ate pretty quietly, not having much to talk about. This gave Rhys a chance to think.

The young blonde was naive, and already trusted Rhys due to her kindness. And Rhys wasn't sure exactly how to react to that. She had been alone for so long she didn't remember what it felt like to have companionship. It had been like that since before the End. the only person Rhys had even remotely felt close to growing up had been her cousin. And he was most likely dead. And he had been a lot like her; quiet, a loner.

For a moment Rhys's heart ached and she longed for his silent, understanding company. She dragged her mind away from that sore subject as quickly as she could. Better not to dwell on things she couldn't control. Instead she focused on her current situation. She began assessing the girl across from her.

She was lithe, strong, and apparently fast. She thought quickly on her feet. She couldn't see in the dark, but she made up for that with her wit and resourcefulness.

And she had saved Rhys's life, however inadvertently. And her Othersense was reacting to this girl. Her instincts wanted to trust her, and protect her. This realization gave Rhys pause, but only for a moment. The redhead had learned the hard way to trust her instincts.

Rhys chewed her food slowly, processing all the pros and cons before she finally made her decision. She cleared her throat. Sierra looked up expectantly.

"So, are you alone?" She asked. The blonde nodded, a sad look coming over her face. Rhys frowned. Obviously that hadn't been the case at some point before.

"Can you fight? Or do you just run from confrontation?" Rhys queried as casually as she could. Sierra blanched a bit, but didn't jump to her own defense right away.

"I can fight, I just don't like to. And right now tryin' to fight my way through would only get me killed. Or turned. I don't have any weapons." Sierra looked thoughtfully at her hands and then up at Rhys.

"Why not?" She asked. Sierra sighed.

"I... I was with a group until about two weeks ago. Four of us. Three girls and a guy. One night while everyone else was sleepin' I snuck down to this stream and was bathin'. While I was gone I guess the guy lost his mind. I heard screamin' and when I got back to camp the other two were dead and he'd run off with most of the supplies. Ain't seen him since." Sierra looked nearly in tears as she finished her story.

Rhys felt sympathy for the younger girl, having lost her group like that. But Sierra had survived for two weeks with no weapons and few supplies. She was obviously smart, and quick. And she had the instinct to survive, or she wouldn't have made it this far.

"Alright. I'm sorry you lost your friends." Rhys reached out on instinct and patted the upset girl's hand.

"Me too. And thank you. For listening, and for being sympathetic. I don't think there are many people left who would actually care." Sierra wiped her watery eyes and smiled a sad little smile. Rhys returned it and decided her next move easily.

"Here's the deal. You're on your own. We both are. You made it this long. And frankly, I'm tired of being on my own. How about we stick together for a while? I have extra weapons, and we can carryore supplies between us than either of us could alone. What do you say?" Rhys suggested, hoping that she hadn't asked for nothing. Sierra's brown eyes turned wide and hopeful.

"I wouldn't slow you down?" She asked.

"No. You kept out of reach of the Dead this long. You can keep my pace." Rhys said, reaching over and popping open another bag of snack food and chowing down. Sierra looked at the floor in thought for a moment. When she looked up there was a fire in her eyes, and she was smiling.

"Yes, gladly."

Without thinking, Rhys returned the bright smile.

"Alright. Good to hear it. Now how about we get some sleep. We can get moving later. Right now we're safe, well fed, and  not alone. Everything else we can figure out later." Sierra nodded and let out a big yawn. Rhys stood up and headed back to the aisle she'd found her sleeping bag in and grabbed one for Sierra. She tossed it to the blonde as she rounded the corner, and set about re-stringing her -- their -- alarms before settling in and getting ready to go back to sleep.

"Thank you, Rhys." She heard Sierra whisper before they both drifted off.


	3. From the Shadows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rhys is being hunted.

The man blew a strand of jet black hair out of his eyes and squinted into the sky. The hot sun beat down on him, making him sweat rivers, it seemed. 'Course he blamed that on the fact that he was garbed head to toe in black.

Black balaclava, pulled down away from his face, skintight black t-shirt, buckled at the right collar, black kevlar sleeves up to his bicep, black military cargos, black combat boots laced up tight. The military backpack he carried was the only relief from the expanse of dark material, being digital camo pattered instead.

He made a very intimidating figure, with the machete at his left hip, and the axe tucked in between his backpack and his shoulders. The boot knives tucked into each boot, the five various other knives hidden on his person and the pistol holstered under his right arm only reinforced that appearance. The fact that he looked downright dangerous had saved his life on multiple occasions.

Of course, nobody had really seen his dangerous side. Yet. Vicious fangs hid behind his chapped lips, and his brown eyes glinted gold every now and then, revealing a glimpse of what was hidden beneath his too pale skin.

And his enemies, dead and living both, never expected his reflexes to be lightning fast, or his strenth to be triple what it should be for a man his size.

Lorin Lucas depended on that, along with his heightened senses. He could smell a zombie from literally a mile away. Which wasn't exactly a blessing, ever since the world came to a crashing defeat. But right now, those heightened senses had him locked on to a scent that he couldn't let go. And at the end of this trail there was something far more important than even his own survival.

It was Her.

Lorin wiped his brow and took a swig from his canteen. Screwing the top back on he looked out across the expanse of boiling pavement.

"Fuck it." He mumbled under his breath. His course had already been decided for him by the trail of scent markers his quarry had left behind. He clipped the canteen back on his belt and sniffed the air. A thrill ran through him as he picked up a strong wave of her scent, fresh turned earth, running water, the sharp tang of lemon leaves, and the underlying scent of ozone.

It was clear for quite a ways, but pretty soon he would run into a small herd of the undead. And from the way it smelled, they were damn close to his target made him scowl, his brows furrowing. He didn't need the rotting undead getting to her first.

That made his mind for him. He set off, moving north, into the cover of the woods at a quick clip, hoping to take his irritation on some of the undead in his way.

***

He traveled fast, coming to into a residential area within an hour. He estimated that his target was only a half day ahead of him now. And she had slowed down.

Lorin followed the trail for several miles before the dead converged on him. There were about twenty or thirty of them. And they had cut right through the scent trail. Frustration gnawed at him. He took cover behind a broken down pickup and drew two of his knives. At least he had an outlet.

He set about luring two or three of the dead at a time to him by clicking his knives together and taking them out. He was finishing off the last of them when he heard the explosions far off in the distance.

His head snapped toward the noise. It almost got him bit. The undead he was currently aiming at took its opening, lunging in to sink its teeth into his shoulder. He jerked out of the creature's reach and slammed his knife home in its skull. The squelch as he pulled the blade free turned his stomach.

After wiping his blade on the dead things shirt Lorin looked in the direction that the noise had come from. Everything had gone silent, even to his ears.

His Othersense spoke up just then, whispering for him to follow the source of the noise. Immediately he headed in the direction they had come from.

It took him a little over an hour to find a the sight where someone had set off some firecrackers. The smell of gunpowder was overwhelming. But underneath it was the floral scent of a woman, and several undead. The woman appeared to have moved off to the west, and the undead had followed her trail.

Lorin shook his head. People never seemed to understand that the dead followed their human scents. Anything that stood out, they would follow until they either lost the scent or ran into obstacles they couldn't get through or around. Or they found what carried the scent. Usually that meant death for whatever poor thing had attracted them.

Sighing, Lorin debated on following the girl or searching for the scent he'd lost. It wasn't likely that the woman would escape a herd this big without help. From the tracks and other evidence, there were at least fifteen to twenty of them. He shook his head and sighed. After a second he turned and headed west.

***

The sun rose slowly over the horizon. Lorin watched it from his perch in a tall oak. Down below the ground was littered with undead bodies. He had hunted them through half the night, finally killing the last of the ones that had been trailing the girl, allowing her to escape.

Which had served him better than he'd thought. He'd caught Her trail again while tailing the young blonde to make sure she made it to safety. And she was heading straight for Her. She was closer than he thought. So close that he kept catching her fresh scent over the breeze. 

He'd caught up to her. Finally.

It had been with that thought and a smile on his face that he'd climbed up into his tree and let himself doze for a few hours.

Now he was wide awake, and planning. The last time he'd seen her it had been a year before the Fall. He'd never expected to see her again, assuming she had been dead since the beginning. Somehow she'd surprised him, and survived. Now, to arrange their meeting. It had to be absolutely perfect.

Lorin gathered his gear and began prepping for the day ahead. He didn't even notice when he began humming under his breath.


	4. On Gilded Wings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hunter and Hunted finally meet. Rhys and Sierra get a visitor that is their saving grace.

It was late in the morning when Sierra finally woke up. She was shuffling around in her sleeping bag making little human noises.

Rhys smiled a little, the newness of their partnership giving her a little thrill. She wasn't alone anymore!

Sure, Sierra was only human after all, with no heightened senses, strength or speed on her side, but her cunning and survival instinct more than made up for those shortcomings.

Rhys had been up two hours earlier, and had already planned out what they were going to do this morning. She was going to leave the supplies with Sierra, and take only her knife and makeshift staff, and attempt to find the vehicle that her keys went to. Once she located it, assessed whether or not it was drivable, and confirmed if it had any fuel or not, she would do one of three things.

One being positive, she would pull the vehicle to the door, have Sierra help her load all of the supplies they could into it, and take to the road. Two being negative, she would attempt to scavenge another vehicle and follow through with plan a. Three being negative, and her being unable to locate a secondary vehicle, she would return and she and Sierra would plan on what to do from there.

With a good solid plan under her, Rhys had begun packing up some more food and supplies into other bags.

Sierra was up and moving not to long after. Rhys explained her plan, and the blonde agreed.

So, now to begin.

***

Rhys had managed to locate a large SUV with almost three quarters of a tank and a set of keys dangling from the ignition.

The truck had been a no go. One of the tires had gone flat, and the gas tank had been siphoned almost completely.

And so far there had been almost no sign of the dead around. They must have wandered off in the middle of the night. At this point Rhys didn't care, she was just thankful for the reprieve.

She had even allowed her Othersense to open up a little. She didn't scent anything on the air, and her intuition wasn't screaming alarm bells in her head, so she figured it was pretty safe for the moment.

She was in the middle of backing the SUV to the door when her Othersense started tingling. Not exactly a warning, but she knew something was up. There was someone, or some thing, watching her.

Rhys let her senses ramp up to full and looked around. And there, right on the edge of the parking lot, sat a figure.

It couldn't have been a dog, because no dog was that big. And neither was a wolf. It could only be one of her kind. A massive jet black beast with piercing gold eyes. It's tongue was lolling out and it sat in a relaxed stance, simply watching her.

Rhys shivered as a wave of recognition washed over her. She spoke out loud without realizing it.

"Lorin." It's -- His -- ears perked up at the sound of his name. Rhys felt like she was in shock. Until the beast stood up and padded straight over to the passenger side of the car and stood up, forepaws against the window, and barked.

Not like a dogs bark, but something deeper, and more resounding. Closer to a Lion's roar than a bark. And the effect it had on her was instantaneous. She reached over and clicked the latch on her door, opening it and stepping out. He had met her on her side before she was even out the door.

Her back hit the ground as the massive beast tackled her and began licking her face. Tears she hadn't realized were welling up streamed down her face and a laugh ripped from her throat as the big black creature assulted her face with his tongue. She wrapped her arms around his massive neck and buried her face in his fur, inhaling the scent of animal, and kin, and ozone, and the unique scent of pine trees that he carried in both forms.

"Oh my god, Lorin, you're alive!" She cried, holding on to him. Her heart was hammering in her chest, and it felt like it was going to pop right through her ribcage. The wave of pure happiness that assaulted her felt good. Like coming home.

She gripped his fur and held him almost too tight. He settled in, his weight nearly crushing the air out of Rhys' lungs. He nuzzled her side and let out a whine.

When she finally let go he sat back and looked at her, the in-animal intelligence in his eyes making her head swim.

"How?" She asked, not knowing if she was asking how he was alive, or how he had found her in all this. Either way he didn't answer. He just pricked his ears and jerked his head in the direction he had come from before padding off.

She didn't follow, knowing that he was going to turn back and get himself dressed. She picked herself up and brushed away the dirt on her clothes before getting back into the drivers seat of her newly aquired SUV, leaving the door open. She couldn't fight off the smile that had glued itself across her face, and she didn't bother trying.

A few minutes later he reappeared, fully dressed, head to toe in black, bristling with weapons, and carrying a camo backpack slung over one shoulder. He dropped it by her door and pulled the mask of his hood down. He smiled the biggest, brightest smile she had ever seen and opened his arms up for a hug.

She was quick to oblige. When she pulled back he looked her up and down, assessing, his eyes flashing whenever he ran across a scar. Then he spoke for the first time in what seemed like forever.

"Well cousin, you're looking rather well. It being the end of the world and all." He chuckled.

"So are you, Lor, so are you." She said smiling. Then she said seriously, "I've missed you." Lorin looked sad.

"Me too Rhys. I thought you were dead." He didn't let go of here hands where he held them. Neither did she.

"So did I. But you're not. And you're here. And we're both safe." Rhys stated. Lorin nodded his agreement.

Having finally proven to themselves that the other was indeed whole, and alive, they finally let each other go, both looking reluctant to do so. Lorin spoke up first.

"So, who's the, uh, the human?" He pointed a thumb at the door of the store. Rhys snapped back to reality, remembering Sierra.

"Oh, her name's Sierra. She saved my life yesterday, and then showed up in the middle of the night. She's safe. I trust her." Rhys explained.

"Trust her, as in trust her, or as in trust her?" Lorin queried, raising one black eyebrow. Rhys blushed a little at his tone. She understood his meaning.

"Not like before, brother. This time my senses told me to trust her. I seem to be drawn to her. Like she needs my protection." Rhys looked in the direction of the door, crossing her arms.

"Alright, well if you trust her, then so do I. So lets go let her know I'm here, shall we?" He smirked, showing off the canines that never quite receded.

Rhys looked back to him and smiled, flashing her own perfectly human looking teeth in response.

He offered an arm to his cousin, who took it, and they headed inside to inform the human of the situation.

***

Sierra had taken Lorin's arrival as a bit of a surprise. Finding someone you knew before the End alive was more than rare. It was damn near impossible. But, if what Sierra had gathered from the two people standing in front of her with wide smiles, one amazed, one knowing, then it had been fated, no matter how impossible it was.

Lorin had fought through Hell and worse to find his cousin. And God be damned, he had found her, and he wasn't letting go any time soon, if the way that he slung an arm over her shoulder casually meant anything.

"Come on, you must be hungry. And we have more than enough. More than we can carry." Rhys pulled the raven haired man into the store and down one of the aisles. He let her, smiling the whole way. He gave Sierra a wink before disappearing around the corner after the redhead.

Sierra shook her head and followed. She had the feeling that things were about to turn interesting.

Ten minutes later, Lorin was scarfing down his third family size can of ravioli while Sierra watched in amazement and helping to plan out some more things to pack in the car. They had already made plans to raid the clothing store next door for more clothes for Sierra and Lorin.

And now they had information on where to possibly find a couple of working RV's that they could definitely use. Between an RV and the SUV, they would be able to carry enough supplies to last for months, and they would have a safe place to sleep, and more room than they needed.

They would have to backtrack about fifty miles or so, but they had nothing but time and no real plans except survival. They would take the SUV, and what would fit in the SUV, and track down the two RVs, then bring them back here, load up as much as they could carry, and head for DC.

Only a few major tweaks to Rhys' original plan, but good tweaks that would save them a lot of trouble, and make things easier than they had been for quite some time for all three.

In less than an hour they had enough clothing and other supplies split up between them to support a group five times their size for a couple months at the very least.

They had finally packed up the SUV, and Lorin had managed to find a plastic gas can and siphon a full tank of gas into it, just in case, right around mid afternoon. Lorin pulled out the map he had in his bag, and showed the easiest route from their current location to a small area of farms and houses along the road, heading North. This was where Lorin had found the RVs.

Both he and Rhys had figured out the safest route to get there, and were filling Sierra in on the plan. She readily agreed. Lorin slid in behind the wheel, and the girls both took their places, Rhys in the passenger seat, Sierra in the back with the map.

And they were off.


	5. Under and Over

Rhys sighed and blew a strand of crimson hair out of her face.

She was currently sitting in one of the two RVs, waiting patiently for Lorin to finish repairing whatever was wrong with the engine. Sierra was raiding the old farm house for supplies, and making a good haul of it. 

Lorin had dispatched what had become of the poor elderly couple that the farm had once belonged to. They had burned the bodies out by the chicken coop.

Sierra had then started gathering everything she could possibly fit into the RVs. A whole slew of blankets and pillows, along with shelves, books, storage containers, and the most notable, a tiny blue rocking chair that fit perfectly in the corner of the living area. Now their little RV seemed a lot more homey.

Sierra was currently up at the house gathering anything else she could find that they might need.

She had already discovered the disused water trough and she and Rhys had dragged it to the water pump and cleaned it so that they could use it later for bathing.

Rhys had been almost ecstatic about the possibility of a bath.

After that she had helped Sierra bring the bedding back to the RV.

Rhys was kind of grateful, as it provided plenty things to sleep on, and under.

They had discovered that Sierra was a cuddler, sleeping in the SUV overnight. She had ended up between Rhys and Lorin, and clung to both of them like an octopus in her sleep.

Not that Rhys really minded. She had missed sleeping with others ever since the End.

Lorin seemed to enjoy it as well.

Then again, they were pack creatures, and sleeping communally was natural to them.

"Crank it up." Lorin called softly, knowing full well that Rhys could hear him even if he were to whisper.

Rhys complied, pleased as punch when the engine turned over without hesitation this time.

Lorin crawled out from under the vehicle and brushed himself off.

"Well, should be good for now. Just a minor fuel line issue, nothing too bad. Fixable." He wiped the sweat off his forehead with his arm and squinted toward the house.

"No, she's not done yet, before you ask. Let her to it, just means we won't have to be uncomfortable." Rhys beat him to his question. She picked her book back up from where she'd set it to turn the engine on.

He laughed as he headed inside to start figuring out what fuses needed replaced and what else might need fixing. He was thoroughly enjoying fixing up the machine. He was good with his hands and he felt more useful for being able to do this than he would have if he were doing the same thing Sierra was.

He was lost in his thoughts as he fiddled with knobs and things. Rhys dropped to the ground in front of the door and leaned against the frame, book dangling from one hand.

"So, I'm thinking we can outfit this beast with some of the tin we found as a kind of armor. What do you think?" She asked her pack mate, breaking him out of his thoughts. He nodded.

It's a good idea. A lot of hostile people out there, the more bulletproof we are, the better." He said, still fiddling with the dash.

Just then the air conditioner kicked on with a buzz and whine from the fan. Both weres jumped at the unexpected noise.

"Hot damn, we got AC!" Lorin whooped. Rhys cracked a smile and closed her eyes, the cool air rushing around her.

* * *

 Lorin had finished the repairs, finding that only one RV was in good enough working order, so they salvaged the other for parts and started building a double layer of armor around the vehicle.

By the time they were half finished Sierra had returned with quite a haul from the house.

Dishes, silverware, amenities, and even a toaster.

The other two were in the process of setting tin siding along the left side of the vehicle, the right having already been finished.

Sierra went in and started packing away everything she could.

About an hour later, around mid afternoon Rhys paused what she was doing and sniffed the air.

Lorin noticed and stopped too, waiting.

"Dead. A lot of them. About a 5 or 6 miles away, but coming this way." She stated.

Lorin nodded and went to start packing up everything outside the barn and bringing it in.

They had two large plastic barrels that they had cleaned out earlier, so Rhys took started filling them with clean water from the pump by one of the other outbuildings.

In under 30 minutes the two of them had everything finished so they started pulling the barn doors closed and setting it so that it couldn't be opened from the outside.

Sierra had peeked out the door and was told that something had been spotted close by, so they were going to overnight inside the barn, just in case. Satisfied, Sierra went back inside and set about getting some food ready.

Rhys and Lorin went and found some things to reinforce the door and one wall that seemed weak.

As they finished and started for the door of the RV they could both hear the dead moaning and shuffling about a mile off.

* * *

 

The dead passed them by in the night, but Rhys and Lorin switched out to take watch to be sure the herd wouldn't double back.

The next morning saw them gone and Lorin and Rhys went back to work.

Sierra suggested that they put a sniper's nest up on the roof.

"I knew I liked you for some reason." He joked with the blonde, ruffling her hair and starting plans to do exactly as she had suggested.

Three more days and they were fully decked out and ready to get moving.

They had decided to stay at the farm for one more night before heading out. That night passed uneventfully, but the next morning brought dreary overcast skies, and the promise of a coming storm on the air. The seasons were changing, and Autumn had set in practically over night.

"So, do you think we should go, or should we stay and wait it out?" Sierra asked Rhys while they were getting water.

"Hmm, not sure. That storm might last for days and we don't need to stay in one place longer than we have to. Too dangerous without proper shelter and a perimeter to keep the dead out." The redhead replied.

Sierra looked back out at the horizon. She didn't want to admit it, but there was something about this storm that terrified her. It felt unnatural.

Lorin and Rhys felt it too. There was something very wrong about this sudden storm. Their kind could smell a storm in the air for days before it happened. This one had formed seemingly overnight, without warning.

Lorin approached his cousin later as well about it.

"It feels wrong. There's something else going on, and I don't like it. I don't think we should out there traveling when it hits. Too much potential for something to happen." He told her. The look on his face left no room for argument. And Rhys had been mulling it over as well. She had come to the same conclusion 

"I think we need to take shelter somewhere stronger than the barn. I feel that it would be safer in the house. At least until this passes." She told him. He nodded and turned to Sierra 

"Are there any supplies left in the house, or do we need to take some from the RV?" He queried.

"There are some left, and I found a cellar, but the door is locked and I couldn't find the key anywhere. 

"We can break down the door if we need to." Rhys supplied.

"Well, then I guess we're staying in the house?" Sierra asked.

"Yeah, at least until this storm passes." Rhys finalized.

 

The storm broke in the evening, rolling fast and hard across the dead landscape and unleashing a torrent of rain that soaked everything through in minutes. The parched land drank it up like a sponge, so there was no threat of flooding.

But the storm brought with it a chemical smell that burned both Rhys and Lorin's noses. And there was something else to it. Something that both the wolves were familiar with. A scent that always lingered on the dead under the initial smell of rot and death.

"So, this is how they did it?" Lorin asked quietly that night as he and Rhys sat in the loft of the barn watching the rain.

"They pumped some kind of virus into the water and it got carried into the sky with the evaporating water and as soon as it rained, mankind was doomed." Rhys intoned solemnly.

"Idiots playing God, and they ended up killing the world. We always knew it would happen some day. Just not this soon." The dark haired man lay his head on the arm that dangled from a raised knee. Rhys shook her head and laid back on the stale hay covered floor.

Down below Sierra was asleep in the RV, mumbling and shifting restlessly. Lorin's ears priced at a particularly distressed sound.

"C'mon, she's getting restless without someone there." He shifted his weight and stood up. Rhys glanced at him, brushing off his cargos and turning to pick his way down the stairs.

"You feel it too, then. That she belongs with us?" The one who had become their leader asked her enforcer. His dark eyes flashed gold for a moment.

"Yeah, I do. I don't know why, but my wolf is telling me that she's pack." He told her.

"Yeah. You know, that means it will be harder to keep our secret from her long. Eventually one or both of us will end up shifting in front of her, and we'll be lucky if she doesn't shoot one of us." Rhys spoke softly, like the thought hurt.

"I think that maybe we need to show her ourselves, before it happens. That way she can accept it more readily." He suggested. She looked thoughtful for a long few moments.

"I think maybe you're right, Lor. Hmm, like always." She answered, smiling softly at him. 

She rose and followed him down the stairs to rejoin their packmate in sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well?? How was that? I kinda wanted to introduce Sierra to the wolves a little earlier than I originally planned, and this lays the ground work for what I have planned. After this chapter 6 is going to be rewritten, and we FINALLY get to meet some main characters!  
> Get ready for some snark!
> 
> And sincerely, thanks to those who started reading the original, and stuck with me while I scrapped, well, pretty much everything after chapter 3.


	6. Burning from the Inside Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The pack locates two people out in the woods who need help.

After the storm had subsided and moved on, the wolves had gotten everything shoved into the RV and the car and left the sleepy little farm behind.

They had returned to the little shopping center and effectively cleaned out as much food and other supplies as they could.

Lorin had strategically wiped out shelf after shelf of anything that they needed in the medical and health supplies departments, while Rhys had tackled the food. Sierra had been given the clothing and personal supplies they needed.

Bit by bit they loaded up months worth of supplies into the RV, and loaded up the SUV with everything else they couldn't quite fit into the multitudes of storage areas in the Beast.

They had even stacked the refrigerator up with as much water, juice and any and all other drinks as they could fit.

Now they were headed back out of town to another outlying farm to set up a psuedo camp.

Rhys had figured on stopping for the night and scouting a better location on foot.

Lorin had agreed, so they found a nice place with minimal damage and cleared it of the few dead that were wandering about.

There was a huge barn that was in better condition than the one they had come from on the other side of town. The farm house was in decent condition too. And there was a wood burning stove in the kitchen and a fireplace in the living room.

There were four bedrooms, one of them obviously a child's, but any signs of the previous inhabitants were long gone. There were also two bathrooms and a large kitchen.

They found the cabinets well stocked with canned fruits, jellies, and vegetables, and the pantry had a good store of non-perishables like flour and sugar in large airtight containers.

After a long discussion between the three of them they decided to set up here. It was a good location. They agreed to still scout in case they found a better location, but this place seemed to be good enough. 

So they started moving things in and settling themselves into what soon became home.

 

* * *

 

 

It was early, just before dawn, one late winter morning when Rhys was jolted from sleep by a strange feeling. She knew she'd been dreaming about something important, but she couldn't remember what. Just that it left an aching in her gut and made her restless. She extricated herself from the pile of limbs that were her two companions and went to go start breakfast, since she knew she wasn't going to get any more sleep today.

By the time the other two managed to pull themselves into the waking world there was coffee made in the little kettle sitting on the stove, pancakes piled on a plate, and she was just finishing frying the last of the deer meat from the last deer Lorin had managed to take down.

The past winter hadn't been exactly easy. There had been a few good snows, one of which had frozen the barn door shut, so that they couldn't get it open for two days. And one of the outer fences had ended up with a massive gap when a tree fell on it after one of the storms. The dead had used this to their advantage a few times.

Lorin had planned on fixing the fence and chopping the tree into fire wood today.

Sierra was going out to feed the animals they had found on other farms the previous autumn, six chickens, a horse, two cows and the calf that one of the cows had been pregnant with and just given birth to three weeks before.

None of the animals were very comfortable around Lorin or Rhys, which confused Sierra, but she loved taking care of the animals, so it didn't really bother her much.

Rhys had said something about going hunting this morning. Sierra seemed both disgusted and pleased. So Rhys took off into the woods.

She found herself a small creek and followed it until she found a large tree with a hollow side that she'd been using all winter. She stripped and left her things in the tree.

As soon as she shifted, her russet fur emerging and fluffing out around her, the world came into a whole new level of clarity.

She could smell everything for miles around, her vision sharpened immensely, and her hearing became so acute she could hear the leaves rustling a mile away from a mouse hunting for food.

All of this was nothing to the way it felt to have her fur tousled by the breeze. Like nature itself was caressing her and welcoming her home.

This was why she shifted. This ecstatic feeling that touched her every time she shifted form.

Snapping back into focus, Rhys scented the air.

She detected that nothing was amiss in her vicinity, aside from one of the dead shuffling around about two miles off.

She loped off into the trees and began her search.

 

* * *

 

 

Rhys scented the air again from under her cover. The thicket hid her well, and gave her an excellent view of the forest around her.

She was currently following the sound of something up ahead that was completely out of place in the here-and-now that the world had become.

A helicopter.

Such things should have ceased functioning months ago. But it had passed right over Rhys as she was dragging a small deer she'd taken down into a well surrounded area to protect it from the dead until she could get to her things to field dress it in a way that didn't arouse Sierra's suspicion. A human way.

And then her ears had picked up the distant _whumph-whumph-whumph_ of the helicopter. She had stopped and listened as it got closer, and then almost unbearably loud. And then it had passed right over her. Wided eyed and curious, she had hidden her kill and retrieved her things, just in case, and followed the sound in the direction it had gone.

Which found her here, back in human form and redressed, watching and waiting after something had shot the helicopter out of the sky.

A caravan of men in military vehicles, but clearly not military themselves had pulled up about the same time that Rhys had scented the dead around the other side of the clearing.

And there were two people over there with them. And the scent of fear had hit Rhys' nose like a bag full of rocks. It became pretty clear that the people needed help, and the men who were looting the downed helicopter were clearly not trustworthy. So Rhys took off around the clearing, quick and quiet.

When she found them she was at first puzzled. They were two women, one white, and obviously very sick from the scent of her, and the other black. But what puzzled Rhys was the two dead with no lower jaw, no arms, and chains around their necks that connected to the black woman's belt. Pets?

Then as Rhys watched the black woman turned, unsheathed the katana that was strapped to her back and beheaded the two dead before sinking lower to the ground. Then Rhys noticed the attention that was directed towards where all three of them were concealed.

So Rhys eased toward the women. She hissed and the black woman turned, sword drawn and pointed right at her. She shook her head and motioned the two to follow her. 

"Look, your friend needs help. I have medicine and someone with medical training that can help, but we have to go, now. They'll kill you if they find you. If you don't trust me that's fine, but I don't think you want to die here. We have to move before they find you." Rhys whispered fast. The black woman glanced back to the group of looters to see two men heading toward their position with guns drawn. She turned back and nodded. Rhys moved forward and lifted the sick woman onto her back, piggyback style and they all snuck back into the trees until they found cover behind a thick tangle of bramble and brush.

The men found the two dead and signaled their leader. While they were organizing to spread out and look for the source Rhys and the other woman managed to sneak far enough out of range to get away before they were found. 

 

* * *

 

 

They made it back to the farm after taking a roundabout path back in order to throw off anyone who might have found their trail, but Rhys was fairly certain that no one had, or she would have heard it.

When they came around the barn Sierra was outside heading to feed the chickens. When she saw Rhys and their guests she ran to get Lorin. He met them at the edge of the barn and took the sick woman from her, carrying her up the porch stairs into the house. On the porch the dark skinned woman touched Rhys' arm before she could cross the threshold.

"Thank you. For helping us. I don't know why you did, but thank you." She told Rhys. 

"I helped you because you need it. Those men shot down that helicopter. They killed those men. They would have killed you too, or worse. I've seen men like them before. You're welcome to stay here until your friend is healthy enough to leave. And you're welcome. It was the right thing to do." Rhys looked her straight in the eye and told her before going through the door.

Sierra and Lorin had settled the woman on the couch in the living room and Lorin was in the bathroom digging in the cabinet where the medical supplies were kept. The woman was delirious and had kept going in and out of consciousness the whole way back to camp. She was currently unconscious. Sierra was carrying a pillow and blanket from one of the three bedrooms they didn't use over to the couch to make their patient as comfortable as possible. Rhys decided the others had everything well in hand, so she went for the kitchen instead.

"Are you hungry?" She asked. The other woman nodded, eyes locked on her friend for a moment before she turned to follow. "Good, we have plenty to share. I'm Rhys, by the way." The redhead said, heading over to the pantry door.

"Michonne." The black woman offered.

"And the other woman?" Rhys asked, digging through a box of canned goods and digging out several cans of chicken soup and sitting them on a mostly empty shelf.

"Her name is Andrea." Michonne replied.

"Alright. The little blonde in there is Sierra, and the other guy is Lorin. Your friend is in good hands with him. He knows what he's doing." The shifter told her.

Rhys dug herself out a can of minestrone and stepped aside so Michonne could get herself something. While the other female was making her selection Rhys pulled a bottle of juice off the top shelf and put it with the chicken soup. Then she stepped past her and grabbed a few bottles of water and a spoon for herself and Michonne, offering one each to her as she closed the pantry door, can in hand.

"The soup and the juice are for your friend. She's going to need them." She said, grabbing the can opener and starting on her can.

When she had gotten the top of hers off she passed the can opener to her new housemate and went to the table to eat. They had plenty of dishes, but it was easier to eat out of the cans than to deal with heating the water for dishes on the stove. They kept the generator turned off as much as possible to save what fuel they had.

Michonne followed her over, eyes on the door to the living room. 

 

* * *

 

 

Andrea had recovered pretty well when she started getting medicine and decent food. The fact that she was in a good shelter didn't hurt either.

Lorin was pretty sure she had been close to developing pneumonia had she gone untreated much longer.

Michonne was grateful. They both were. They didn't plan on staying. It was clear they both felt as if they didn't belong. Not that Rhys and Lorin were all that worried one way or another. The less humans around, the easier it would be to conceal their dual nature.

What Rhys hadn't expected was for Andrea to pull her aside the day before they planned to leave.

Out in the shed behind the barn the blonde approached as Rhys was looking for a tool to fix the water pump.

"I wanted to thank you. For helping us. For helping me." She said, arms crossed across her chest. Her hair was loose down her back and the light breeze picked it up and blew a couple stray strands across the older woman's face.

"You're welcome. You know we never told you to leave." Rhys leaned against the door jamb, her bare arms were streaked with dirt and sweat from working and she had her hair pulled back out of her face.

"No, you didn't. But I don't think we should overstay our welcome." Andrea looked down for a moment. "I would have died if you hadn't found us. So I feel like I owe you. But I know your kind don't accept repayment. Or at least none of the ones I knew did."

A cold shiver went down Rhys' spine at Andrea's words.

"My kind?" She asked, tensing up.

"Shifters. I would say werewolves, but the ones I knew weren't all wolves. I know you are. Wolves carry a distinct smell. So do the pumas. My college roommate was a puma shifter. For the longest time I couldn't figure out why our room smelled like the mountains." She laughed quietly.

"How did you find out?" Rhys asked cautiously. By pack law it was a serious crime to reveal the existence of shifters to a human unless it was absolutely nessesary.

"She got into a car accident and refused to go to the hospital. She had a broken arm and collarbone, and I threatened to call 911 if she didn't go. So she told me. And then she showed me when I told her she was nuts and I was going to put her in the nuthouse. I think that was the most terrified I'd ever been at that point. But after that I think we were better friends. She didn't have to hide anything from me anymore." She shook her head, still smiling. 

Rhys relaxed some. If Andrea had been so accepting of her shifter friend then she wasn't a threat.

"Sierra doesn't know. Don't say anything." The redhead cautioned.

"Didn't plan on it. That's your business, not mine. But just a little friendly advice; you might want to tell her. She cares a lot about you. And your brother. And she seems pretty open minded. I'm fairly certain she'd accept it, and it might make things easier. On all of you." She told Rhys.

Rhys looked up to the sky. It was a clear day. She took a deep breath and returned her gaze to the older woman.

"I'm sure you're right. She will accept it, when we finally tell her. But the time isn't right just yet. Thank you, though. For sharing with me." Rhys turned to go back into the shed.

"Well, I just thought you should know there are still people out there who know. And that don't condemn you or hunt you. We're leaving in a little while. But we will probably come back at some point to see how you're doing. Thanks again, Rhys." With that the blonde turned around and headed back up the path to the house.

Rhys actually felt a little lighter after that. She went about the rest of the afternoon in a good mood.


	7. Turbulent Waters

Rhys was on edge, and for good reason.

For the last week she had been waking up before dawn from disturbing dreams. First they were vague and confusing, indistinct shapes and voices filtering through the darkness to her and disorienting her, coming on faster and louder until they forced her from sleep, leaving her slightly nauseous until she fell back asleep.

Then there were the intense ones that started out with her in wolf form out in the forest chasing down an enticing scent that she couldn't help but follow, leading her down path after path until she found herself at the source of the scent. It was a man standing at some sort of gate. No sooner than she laid eyes on him than she would wake up, drenched in sweat, heart pounding, and an odd ache low in her belly.

Rhys wasn't stupid. She knew it was lust she was feeling. It wasn't the first time. But it had never felt this strong before. And it had never plagued her dreams like this. It was puzzling. And embarrassing.

She had taken to sleeping in another room away from the others so as not to wake Lorin up again.

That had been the most uncomfortable moment of her life. It was the first time she'd had the Dream and it had dragged her from her sleep, eyes bleary, legs clenched together, that now familiar ache between her legs and the unmistakable scent of arousal hanging in the air.

As she sat there trying to calm her racing heart and figure out exactly what had just happened Lorin had leaned up on his elbows and asked if she was ok. And then asked if she was going into heat and needed to disappear for a few days.

After assuring him that she was fine and it was just a dream she had tried going back to sleep. But laying in the dark next to Sierra, fighting off the lingering effects of her dreams she had gotten up.

She took the bedroom farthest from the one they'd shared the next night and made excuses to Sierra about it being too hot for her to sleep in their room.

And nearly every night she had these dreams. And the last one had woken her to a much more acute ache than ever and her sleep shorts soaked through.

Maybe Lorin was right and she was going into heat. But her heats had never come on like this. Usually they started out with migraines and body aches, and then it felt like fire in her groin and belly that wouldn't go away, and got so strong she had to be sedated for 2 or 3 days and then when that was over the blood would come, accompanied by the cramps and pressure that human women generally complained of once a month.

Never like this. So Rhys moved into the other room and tried to deal with the dreams. Little did she know that they were only a precursor of what was to come.

 

* * *

 

It had been about a week since Andrea and Michonne had left. A week since the dreams began.

Something was moving out in the forest. The dead were being sighted, and scented, more and more, and a strange feeling rooted itself in Rhys' gut. And then she found what remained of the dead deer while she was out hunting. Lorin was out here too, this time. Sierra was back at the farm. She had been the one to suggest they both go. There wasn't much else that needed to be done at the moment, and Lorin had been getting restless as well.

So here they were, two wolves in the forest hunting down dinner and trying to burn off some extra energy.

And then Rhys had smelled blood. It was fresh too. They had to be at least 10 miles from the farm now so they followed it. Both of them had a backpack attached to their hind leg in a way that they could carry it comfortably in case they needed their things. Lorin had come up with their ingenious system.

And both of them were thankful when they found not only the deer, but what parts of it had been missing making a trail through the forest. Several of the dead and the scent of someone that definitely wasn't dead leading them straight to what turned out to be a prison. There was a section of chain link fence cut away and the trail of deer guts taking them straight inside.

Lorin and Rhys glanced at each other. And then the first gunshot rang out, startling them both, followed by the blaring of a prison alarm somewhere inside.

They're eyes met again and Rhys nodded before they dropped back to the cover of the trees. They both shifted back and dressing as quickly as they could before stowing the bags under some brush. They both had knives in hand and they started tearing the dead apart as soon as they came upon them. They made their way inside and cleared a path through the yard into the building.

Rhys could scent other people on the air. People that needed their help. They made their way through the building as fast as they could, taking out every shuffling corpse in their path as they went. They finally managed to make it out the door into another courtyard just as a black man and a gray haired woman were heading for the door they had come through. 

The two were shocked to see them for a split second before Lorin darted past them and started taking out the dead that had been hot on their heels. Rhys was right by his side, knife ripping into rotting flesh over and over. There were gunshots ringing out across the whole yard and a girl was screaming somewhere.

Everything became a blur as they both fought back the tides of walking corpses. Rhys was vaguely aware of the two people they had passed on the way in stepping in beside them and either shooting or bludgeoning as many as they could.

Eventually the enemies numbers had thinned out some and Rhys turned to follow the woman through the door and around the hall. Lorin had gone the other way to help those that remained in the yard, but the other man was right behind Rhys. 

That's how he ended up being the one who got bit instead of her. One of the dead had been hidden by the door when they had come in and as the door swung shut it had been released and lurched forward, clamping it's teeth down on the burly man's arm. He cried out and Rhys turned, knife in hand and stabbed it. But the damage had been done. The man was doomed.

"T-Dog!" The woman shouted and sprinted back to his side. He waved her off.

"Don't worry bout me, just get to the others." He pushed her on. Rhys motioned her on.

"We'll manage, just come on. They need our help." She told the woman while ripping a piece of her shirt off the bottom hem and wrapping it around the spot where he'd been bitten. Instead of arguing the gray haired woman turned and led them through the corridor. 

Halfway through another group of the dead met them coming from another hallway and before either of them could stop him the man charged forward and barreled into them, pushing them back in order to let the women through. His screaming echoed behind them, but Rhys pushed the other woman on, not letting her stop.

They managed to make it around to yet another corridor. There were walking corpses there too, so Rhys let loose, tearing through one after another after another. When there were no more she turned to the other woman, only to find she wasn't there.

Instead of wasting time looking Rhys went on until she wound up outside again, this time pushing through a door right into chaos.

 

* * *

 

 

Lorin found himself helping to carry an old man that had been bitten through the prison into a cell. When they got him onto the cot one of the men he had been helping to carry the old guy turned to him.

"Can you hold him still?"

"Yes." He replied.

"Good, I need you to help me before it gets any farther." The man said before he started shouting orders. Somebody brought a trauma kit in and there was a hand saw produced.

"We don't have time for anesthetic, we have to do this now! Hold him down, don't let him move!" Someone shouted and Lorin locked his weight on the man's leg, lending his inhuman strength to keeping to poor man still in order to attempt to save his life.

After the fact Lorin didn't remember much except the screams and a lot of blood, and himself yelling about cauterizing the wound and then everything went way too quiet too fast as the man passed out.

 

* * *

 

 

Rhys was standing in the courtyard in the aftermath of the battle. The old man that had been bitten had been carried inside by a group of people, Lorin included. 

Rhys hadn't followed, as there were already a bunch of people inside with them.

So Rhys made herself useful and started dragging the bodies of the dead out into the field and piling them up to be burned. She and another person, a short scruffy guy, had been at it for a while when the door they had taken the injured man through opened again and someone came out. 

Rhys just happened to look up at the exact moment that the scent hit her nose and her knees nearly buckled. ,The scent was the same one from her dream, and it immediately shot a bolt of lust right through her. And when her eyes landed on the source of that scent a tremor ran the length of her spine, every hair on her body standing at attention.

Everything seemed to click in place in that instant.

The man she was looking at just happened to look up and their eyes met, bright blue locked onto green. A jolt seemed to hit him at the same time and he stopped in his tracks.

They stared at each other for a moment that seemed to last eternity, and then was shattered when someone else stepped out the same door and said something to him. He blinked and looked back at them to reply and Rhys dragged herself back to the present. She went back to dragging corpses to the pile, but his face seemed to be etched into her retinas. 

The face from her dreams that she could never quite remember was clear in her mind now.

This man, whoever he was, he was the thing that had been calling her here. This man, whatever his name was, was tied to her irrevocably.

She now understood exactly what the dreams had been telling her. Why she had woken night after night impossibly aroused and equally confused from dreams that made no sense. This man was meant to be her mate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun duuuuuuuuuhn!  
> It's finished! Finally!!!! YAY!!  
> And there are actual characters from the show now.
> 
> I know it's not exactly what anyone really wanted, but Rhys is so difficult to get moving. (Lazy)  
> And things really didn't flow right at first. After the rewrite the last 2 chapters just kinda wrote themselves.
> 
> And before anyone asks, yes Michonne shows back up. So does Andrea, and Merle will make an appearance in part 2. A few other things change, and yes, Sierra finally (FINALLY!) finds out the truth. And there's a bit of a surprise for everyone in the next part.  
> So I really hope you've enjoyed OotF, and please let me know what you think.  
> Next, Into the Breach!!


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